The Enemy Within (1994)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I always like watching a good political thriller, so I was excited to watch The Enemy Within, despite my skepticism of the cast. Cutting to the chase, it turned out exactly as I'd expected. The cast was the weakest element of the film, but it was still relatively entertaining for those who enjoy this genre.Forest Whitaker plays a Marine who works in Washington, DC., directly under the Joint Chiefs of Staff, played by Jason Robards. Obviously, since it's Jason Robards, he's up to no good. It's not long before Forest figures it out—Jason is leaving him out of classified meetings and plans—and starts digging to find out what his boss is hiding.Sam Waterston is always very likable—and he's played a president before—so it's no stretch to believe he's the most likable person in the story and gives the best performance of the cast. Dana Delaney plays the president's Chief of Staff, and she feels incredibly miscast and out of her element. When she reads official documents, she seems to not understand the language; when she speaks to the president, she seems completely unaware of proper protocol; and when she takes part in covert operations, it seems like her idea of secrecy is waiting the entire weekend before telling her sorority sisters what happened. I know that sounds harsh, but she just can't pull off playing the Chief of Staff. And while Jason Robards is easily believed to be a bad guy, Forest Whitaker doesn't reek of discipline and harshness, despite several references to his supposed character traits in the script.You can sit through this political thriller if you want to; it won't hurt you. Chances are you'll find it a little bland, and you'll wish Sam Waterston could really run for President. Also, for those who have seen the original, this is a remake of 1964's Seven Days in May. I've never seen it, so I'm not able to draw any comparisons, but I wanted to include that tidbit.

Dramatic, Intriguing and Suspenseful, "The Enemy Within" is an excellent political thriller that will appeal to anyone who can think outside the norm. While I haven't seen the original "Seven Days in May", I think that the comments that this movie it is poorly cast and acted are very much mistaken as the actors do the intriguing plot and thrilling scenarios, more than justice. Forest Whitaker is especially good in his role as Colonel Casey and does an outstanding job in bringing a sense of realism and authenticity to his character. Don't let the negative comments put you off, "The Enemy Within" is a great movie that will have your heart pounding and mind thinking.

This was a very inferior remake of "Seven Days in May".What dooms it from the outset was Jason Robards' characterization of General Lloyd (Scott). It is central to the credibility of the plot that this is a knife fight between an unpopular dovish president whom most of the country fears has endangered America by his disarmament treaty and his charismatic hawkish Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In the original "Seven Days in May" General Scott is a national war hero whom millions of Americans idolize and who, if the election were held today, would win in a landslide. Jimmy Carter vs Douglas MacArthur. For the concept of a military coup to be credible there has to be a national security crisis pitting an unusually weak president against an unusually powerful general.The original "Seven Days in May" had Burt Lancaster, an actor of enormous virile magnetism playing General Scott. You can see him as the kind of heroic man on horseback a frightened nation would turn to for salvation. You can see him as the kind of man who could seduce a nation into "Well, why don't we set aside the Constitution just this once. I won't tell if you won't tell." This film's General Lloyd was a charisma-challenged snarling fascist whom no one would follow off a sinking ship. It is impossible to imagine him commanding the support of millions of Americans which is what you would have to do if you plan on ruling the country after shooting your way into the White House.

This is a terrible, dumbed down, remake of John Frankenheimer's SEVEN DAYS IN MAY with Forest Whitaker in the Kirk Douglas role and Jason Robards in the Burt Lancaster role. The story follows the assistant to the commander of the joint chiefs of staff as he uncovers a plot to overthrow the government. Neither Whitaker nor Robards seem comfortable in their uniforms or seem to understand their roles as officers. The insultingly simplified plot is spoon fed to the audience and delivered with inane dialog. Unlike the original, none of the plot makes a damn bit of sense and the final resolution is so unbelievable that it seems a fitting end to this mess. It's as if a first grader saw the first film and typed out his own version.